Jon Watts planning Star Wars series set after Return of the Jedi

Last Updated on May 18, 2022

The Star Wars franchise has already received solid notices for their Disney+ series’ The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Perhaps this is why a lot of its master plan moving forward appears to be focused on television with the upcoming releases of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, and a slew of other new shows, including one from Jon Watts that is set after the third Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi.

Vanity Fair has debuted a pretty impressive piece about the upcoming television shows coming from the Star Wars universe. While the Star Wars sequel trilogy on the big screen began to receive a more divisive response that grew as each new film was released, the television footprint for the franchise has been particularly strong. The Mandalorian was the first to become a global phenomenon and then The Book of Boba Fett gave fans of that character his due following his demise in Return of the Jedi. The Vanity Fair piece presents what’s to come and how the television universe came to be.

In the pretty extensive story, it’s revealed that a show from director Jon Watts and writer Chris Ford is in the works to further expand the Star Wars universe. The series doesn’t have a title as of yet it’s said to take place during the post-Return of the Jedi reconstruction that follows the fall of the Empire. The Mandalorian also takes place during this time but the plot for Watt’s endeavor remains a secret as of this writing. Vanity Fair does point out that a casting call for four children, around 11 to 12 years old, was put out for the series and that within the walls of Lucasfilm, it’s being described as “a galactic version of classic Amblin coming-of-age adventure films of the ’80s.”

Another upcoming series, The Acolyte, from showrunner Leslye Headland, is also in the works. Headland, the creative mind behind Netflix’s critically acclaimed Russian Doll, says the writing is mostly complete as she has been planning the show for two years. Rumored to star Amandla Stenberg, Headland says the series takes place roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace:

“A lot of those characters haven’t even been born yet. We’re taking a look at the political and personal and spiritual things that came up in a time period that we don’t know much about. My question when watching The Phantom Menace was always like, ‘Well, how did things get to this point?’ How did we get to a point where a Sith lord can infiltrate the Senate and none of the Jedi pick up on it? Like, what went wrong?”

Headland also described the show as a mystery thriller. She went on to say, “We actually use the term the Renaissance, or the Age of Enlightenment,” she says. Jedis were not always ascetic monklike figures living selflessly and bravely. “The Jedi uniforms are gold and white, and it’s almost like they would never get dirty. They would never be out and about. The idea is that they could have these types of uniforms because that’s how little they’re getting into skirmishes.”

Check out some of Vanity Fair’s exclusive pics in the tweets below:

It’s pretty interesting to see where the Star Wars universe is headed. The future of the movies seems to still have a place in the narrative but Kennedy does say they won’t be relentlessly released like they were in the past. A Star Wars film from Taika Waititi will arrive first while Rogue Squadron from Patty Jenkins is even further down the line. They say it’s best to focus on your strengths and the force appears to be very strong with Star Wars on the small screen.

What are YOUR thoughts on the future of the Star Wars universe on television?